THE Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha has signed acclaimed Bollywood playback singers Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan to perform at the National Stadium on May 5, in celebration of the 175th anniversary of Indian Arrival in Guyana. The Sabha’s press release has said that Alka and Udit were specifically chosen because their wide range of hit music spans more than three decades, and is extremely popular and loved in Guyana.

Alka and Udit will be accompanied by a full band of musicians and technical personnel.

Described as the melody queen of Hindi music, Alka is among the best known playback singers of Hindi cinema, and is a record seven-time winner from a record of 35 nominations of the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer.

She has been the two-time recipient of the National Film Award, as well as winner of several other music awards. Further, as many as 20 of her tracks have been featured in the “BBC’s Top 40 Bollywood Soundtracks of all time” review.

Alka is classically trained, and has been one of the leading playback singers in Bollywood since the late 1980s. She began singing bhajans for All India Radio in Calcutta at the age of six, and her first song was for the film Payal Ki Jhankaar in (1980). This was followed by the hit song “Mere Angane Mein”, featuring Amitabh Bachchan in the film Laawaris in 1981.

Alka got her big break with the Madhuri Dixit song “Ek Do Teen” from the super hit film Tezaab (1988). The song turned her into a star overnight, and went on to become a pop hit, also winning her a Filmfare Best Female Playback Award. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was also a career maker for her, as she and Udit became household names.

Alka has sung in many languages other than Hindi, and has worked with all of the top Indian composers. She has done playback singing for over 700 Indian films, and has also sung in many notable non-film albums. Moreover, she has done renditions of the Hanuman Chalisa and various devotional songs.

Alka has also participated as a judge in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Star Voice of India, and has also sung Ringa Ringa for the award winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

In 2012, she and Sonu Nigam sang ‘Shiksha Ka Suraj’ as part of the National Literacy Mission of India. Further, in 2012, on the occasion of 100 years of Hindi Cinema, her song “Taal Se Taal Mila”, from the movie Taal, was voted as the best song of the century.

Among her notable achievements was being the single nominee at the 1994 Filmfare Awards for the category of Female Playback Singer, having all the four nominations to her credit; one of which she shared and eventually jointly won with the song Ila Arun for the film ‘Cholike Peeche’.

Her popular songs include ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ for the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai; ‘Na Na Karte Pyaar’ and ‘Dil ne yeh Kaha’ for the film Dhadkan; ‘O re Chori’ for the film Lagaan; ‘Kahona Pyaar ha’ for the film Kahona Pyaar Hai; ‘Odhni’ for the film Tere Naam; ‘Ek do Teen’ for the film Tezaab; ‘Baazigar o Baazigar’ for the film Baazigar; ‘Pardesi Pardesi’ and ‘Aayi Hoon meri Zindagi’ for the film Raja Hindustani; ‘Tauba Tumhare’ for the film Chalte Chalte; ‘Laal Dupatta’ for the film Mujse Shaadi Karogi; ‘Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam’ for the film Duplicate; ‘Gali Mein Aaj Chaand Nikla’ for the film Zakhm; ‘Bole Chudiya’ and ‘Suraj Hua Madham’ for the film Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham; ‘Laal Chunariya’ for the film God Tussi Great Hai; ‘Thodasa Pyaar Hua Hai’ for the film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya; ‘Dupatta Sarak Raha Hai’ for the film Kaun Hai Jo Sapno Mein Aaya; ‘Dil Mere Naal, I love you, love you like crazy’ for the film Fida; ‘Taal se Taal Mila’ for the film Taal; and ‘Salaam’ for the film Umrao Jaan.

Udit Narayan

Udit has sung over 1200 songs for Hindi films, and is the winner of three National Film Awards, five Filmfare Awards and numerous others.

In 2009, he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by the Government of India.

He got his first break in 1980, when noted music director Rajesh Roshan asked him to playback for the Hindi film Unees Bees, and he was given the opportunity to sing with the veteran Mohammed Rafi.

The success story of his career began in 1988, when he sang all the songs for the successful Bollywood movie Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, earning himself a Filmfare Award for the hugely popular song ‘Papa Kehte Hai’.

The film also brought actor Aamir Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and playback singer Alka Yagnik to stardom. After the success of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Udit became one of the leading playback singers in the Indian film industry, quickly following this feat with super-hits like Pehla Nasha, Jaadu Teri Nazar, and Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast.

Udit has sung for numerous blockbuster films, like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Dil to Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Hum Saath Saath Hain, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Karan Arjun, Raja Hindustani, Devdas, Darr, Mohabbatein, Om Shanti Om, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, to name a few.

His most recent hit is a currently popular song in Guyana, “Radha”, from the film Student of the Year.
The Sabha is convinced this concert will be extra special, because Alka and Udit have the distinction of singing numerous beautiful duets together, including several Guyanese favourites.

Last year, the Sabha brought Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal for concerts in April and September. Over the next two weeks, the Sabha will unroll all its activities for the year, to commemorate the 175th Arrival Day.